This is why part of the Transpennine rail route between Yorkshire and Manchester will be closed for 16 days this summer

A stretch of the Transpennine rail route between Yorkshire and Manchester is to be closed for 16 days this summer to allow key infrastructure improvements to take place.

The work forms part of Network Rail’s wider goal to deliver long-awaited improvements along the full 76-mile route stretching from York to Manchester, via Leeds and Huddersfield.

Senior rail officials say journey times will increase as a result of the closure but "the long-term legacy of the project will be worth the shorter-term inconvenience of the disruption”.

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Miles Platting, near Manchester, where the work is taking place. Pic: Network RailMiles Platting, near Manchester, where the work is taking place. Pic: Network Rail
Miles Platting, near Manchester, where the work is taking place. Pic: Network Rail
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It will take place east of Manchester Victoria station, closing the lines towards Stalybridge and Rochdale, with a 16-day railway closure between these destinations from July 31 to August 16.

Despite the 16-day closure, direct train travel between Manchester and Leeds will still be possible but with trains departing/arriving via Manchester Piccadilly instead of Manchester Victoria station.

Passengers wishing to travel between Yorkshire to Manchester Airport/Liverpool will be able to do so but with a change of trains at Manchester Piccadilly.

Anyone travelling between Bradford and Manchester on the Calder Valley line will need to transfer onto a bus for the portion of the journey between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria.

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Network Rail says during the closure hundreds of railway workers will be working day and night to renew key sections of track and upgrading railway bridges to improve reliability. It is the first step to enable wider improvements that are expected to bring benefits to passengers.

Further railway upgrade work between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge is being planned for several weekends and bank holidays from late August through to early 2022.

Neil Holm, Network Rail’s Director for the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme, said: “The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a transformative, long-term project supporting economic growth in the North at a vital time and delivering real benefits for passengers and communities.

“A project of this size and scale means there will be times when we have to close the railway - and the 16-day closure this summer in Greater Manchester signifies one of these moments.

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"However, working alongside train operators, we are committed to keeping passengers on a train as often as we possibly can, moving on time and in comfort. We are confident that the long-term legacy of the project will be worth the shorter-term inconvenience of the disruption.”

Last summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed plans for trains between York, Leeds and Manchester to run on a "first-class, fully-electrified railway" as he announced nearly £600m to pay for upgrades to the vital route.

He said £589m will be used to speed up trains and boost reliability on the 76-mile Transpennine route by electrifying much of the line and doubling the number of tracks from two to four on congested stretches.

And in a change of approach to his predecessor Chris Grayling, who imposed a £2.9bn budget on the scheme which meant only two-thirds of the route could be electrified, he said the Government's ambition was to go further and introduce full electrification.

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